News

ShopperGauge report examines in-aisle display effectiveness

January 6, 2011

The suppliers of the ShopperGauge technology have announced the release of a new case study targeted at answering one of the retail industry's top in-store merchandising questions: "Is this display working?" The study's objective was to quantify the impact of in-aisle fixtures and displays on shopper behaviors such as engagement, conversion and purchase choices.

The study, "Measuring Display Impact, Brand Messaging, and Shopper Behavior," was completed by CART, the Center for Advanced Retail & Technology, using ShopperGauge technology. ShopperGauge incorporates RetailNEXT, the in-store shopper monitoring platform from BVI Networks, and best-in-class display and fixture products from RockTenn Merchandising Displays.

Conducted in late 2010 at the Green Hills, New York live, in-store technology lab, the study tested the impact of introducing an in-aisle cereal display for General Mills cereal products and featured dominant messaging around "Whole Grain Goodness." The eight-foot "Smart Showcase" display was visible from both ends of the aisle and prominently framed the General Mills cereal set, visually separating it from other products in the cereal category.

The study sought to validate that shoppers do indeed care about choosing healthy cereals and that messaging and displaying the products within this context could impact purchase decisions and convert more shoppers to buyers. The expectation was increased conversion and sales for the entire category and that shoppers would increase purchases of the featured brand even more significantly because of the appeal of the "Whole Grain Goodness" message.

The results exceeded expectations, and revealed some surprising insights which give the manufacturer and retailer additional leverage for making business improvements and enhancing the shopper experience in the category. Cereal aisle shopper traffic (21 percent of total store traffic) averaged 23 seconds in the aisle. Fifteen percent of the aisle traffic stopped at the display, and 47 percent of those shoppers purchased a General Mills brand product. During the test period, Green Hills shoppers spent 17 percent more on General Mills products than before. The number of shoppers who stopped and engaged with the General Mills brands increased by 200 percent, and overall shopper conversion increased 8 percent.